Sassafras Tree
Flame-leaf Sumac Tree
The line of trees at the back of the field behind my apartment is made up mostly of sassafras and black walnuts what I thought were black walnut, but are actually flame-leaf sumac (Rhus lanceolata). I love the explosion of scarlet against the grey and green of the sky and grass.
Flame-leaf sumac (Rhus lanceolata) (raw from camera)
I love the way this photo turned out, just straight from the camera. It could have been centered a little better, but the colors are super saturated. When I’ve mentioned that taking photos on overcast days has certain benefits, this is what I’m talking about.
Of course, that didn’t stop me from tinkering around with it.
Mossy and Chaste
Did I mention that I renewed my lease? Well, I did, and not two days later, new tenants moved in across the hall from Mr. Upstairs. They are stompers, so every time they go up or down the stairs, the entire building knows about it. They are also stinky. Saturday evening and Sunday morning, the hallway reeked of really, really skunky pot. Then, Monday afternoon, it smelled like rancid garlic. This morning, it smelled like cheap-assed incense. I wonder if the incense had anything to do with the sneezing fit I had after returning from walking Miss Brown?
I just hope that our hallway doesn’t end up smelling like the main hall did after the Bumpasses moved in. It used to smell like clean laundry, but now it smells like rancid cigarette smoke. Someone keeps leaving the main door open, which makes me laugh. I’d want to air it out, too, if I lived over there.
I went for a walk this afternoon, to survey the state of the driveway, and also because it was a gorgeous day for a walk.
The main areas of damage are definitely the result of SBC laying cable down the center of the drive. They moved it a year or two ago, but the old cable is now completely exposed in several places, because the earth has washed away where the trench was cut. What a spectacularly stupid thing to do. There is no way to repair the damage, short of digging out the entire driveway and starting over from scratch, because the earth in that trench will always be softer than the earth around it. It’s the path of least resistance for flowing water, which means it gets washed out during heavy rain.
A rut that is a lake
Yes, those are goddamn CINDER BLOCKS IN ALL CAPS.
I also took some prettier photos.
A dead tree along the fence behind my house. I decreased the saturation, then increased the reds and yellows. I also fiddled with the contrast and darkness.
Beheaded trees along gas easement
Tree along fence behind my house
Machined piece of stone found in driveway.
My neighbor’s house, at the top of the hill. I took these photos from ground level at the bottom of her driveway. The photos turned out kind of creepy, I think.
The weather has been exceptionally pretty the past few days. Last Wednesday, after work, my camera and I took a walk in the woods. I wasn’t really dressed appropriately, as it was super muddy, but it was well worth slogging through the swampy bits.
I’ve tweaked the color a bit (lowering the saturation, increasing the contrast, decreasing the lightness, and upping the reds and yellows), because the originals were washed out. Sunny days are nice, but they really don’t make for the best photographs. The close-ups of the tree knot and the three trees with a board nailed across them were completely desaturated and had noise added. I left the fungus and the pictures with visible sky untouched.
I love this section of Patricksburg Road. It’s extra twisty and flanked by limestone outcroppings, with a small stream running along one side. There’s a house at the top of the hill on the stream side, with two German Shepherd Dogs who were Not Amused by my tromping around on their territory.
I took these on the way home from work. Because of the hills, most of the sky views in this area are blocked by ridge lines. This location is a rare exception. There are three rolling fields, but the inevitable valley walls are far off enough that the sky is relatively large.
There’s a field across the road from my driveway. It’s not in a very good location, because Fish Creek runs along the back edge of the field. It floods in the spring, making the field difficult to plant. The owner has done some illegal dredging of the creek, to try to keep it from flooding his field, but he was caught. I assume the pipes were bought with the intent to use them to drain the flood water, and that they were left sitting when the project was shut down.
There are several mounds of earth in the same field. They remind me of tumuli.
I’m not usually a fan of contrail photos, but I liked the patterns these ones made.
Sunrise
Sunset
I’ve been out mowing and got a couple of shots of Elliott while I was taking a break. This one–he’s hunting moles–was framed particularly nicely, so I thought I’d upload it. The photo on the right was taken a week ago. Even though it was hot and yucky out, the shade from the tangled tree branches looked cool and inviting. I wasn’t able to get a picture of him, but there was a male cardinal cheeking up a storm in the sassafras tree. Every time I’d get the camera focused on him, he’d hop to a different branch.
I know it’s cooler out today than it has been in ages, but it’s still too bloody hot for yard work. Yuck! Frequent breaks are, I think, the ticket.
red paper boat 